The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-01-15
"CURFEW SHALL NOT RING"
The Accident Which Led to the PublioN-
ton of a Noted Poem.

ton of a Noted Poem.
Nineteen years ago when Rose Hart
wick, Litchfisld, Mich, girl Of 16 made
her maiden effort at rhyming, she pro-
duced, after much writing and rewrlt-
ing, the verses with which countless elo-
cutionists and alleged elocutionists have
told the story of the girl with tough
hands and great nerve, who pat qul-
etus on the bell which was to have
sounded her lovers death-knell.
But the poem did not bring to the
Young lady the self satisfaction which
most people enjoy after they have done
something they never did before; there
were too many verses and the story was
too sing-songy, perhaps. At any rate,
she laid it aside, and in the course of
time she wrote ssveral little ballads
which were accepted by the country press.
In the year 1870, about three years from
the birth of "Curfew," ETC., and while
that ignominious first effort" was still
on the dusty shelf of neglect, Miss Hart
wick made an arrangement to furnish
some verses each week to The Detroit
Commercial Advertiser. This she did
with uninterrupted regularity for nearly
nine months, when she was taken vlo-
lently i'll. This illness was the happy
though painful circumstance which
brought the sighted "Curfew" into favor
and renown. Most all literary people
are improvident on general principles.
Miss Hartwick was not an exception.
She found The Advertiser waiting on her
for copy" and she had none to send.
Then some good-or bad angel, as the
public may judge, reminded her of the
poem she had discarded. It was her
only resource and it was hunted up,
busted off, and sent on with the apollo
getic instruction to the editor: aft you
don't want it throw it into the waste
basket"
But the editor did want it, and he sent
grateful acknowledgment of it, which
to the rural pOetess, was the next thing
to fair remuneration.
The poem appeared in the current
issue of the paper and within two days
from its publication it was copied in a
score or more of dailies in the United
States and Canada. The circulation of
the poem continued until nearly every
man, woman and child in the country
could recite at least the last line of each
verse of "Curfew Shall Not Ring To-
night"
But while the poem was in every ones
mouth the name Of the author was un-
known. The papers first copying had
neglected to do more than mention the
paper in which the verses first appeared.
In fact, but few people to-day know that
the writer was Rose Hartwick, who
afterward married Mr.. Thorpe from
Grand Rapids, Mich, and went to live
with him in Texas, where the ravages
of consumption-of which he is victim
could be checked by careful treatment
secured through the means she gains by
the active use of her pen.
The lady is at present visiting friends
in Chicago. She is bright and enter
tanning in manner, and by no means
shows her 5 and 30 years. She has
never written anything of note except
"Curfew," but she derives quite an in
come from children's stories, which she
is writing with some success. She never
realized a penny from her best effort
Chicago Tribune.